Stock Ownership

Gallup reports:

Although the Dow Jones industrial average has made significant gains since it plummeted in 2009 after the financial meltdown, Americans are no more likely today than they were six years ago to report having money invested in the stock market. Fifty-five percent of Americans report having money invested in stocks, matching what Gallup found from 2009 through 2011, though up slightly from the low of 52% in 2013.

The latest finding comes from Gallup's annual Economy and Finance survey, conducted April 9-12.

Americans' self-reports of having money invested in the stock market -- either in an individual stock, a stock mutual fund or in a self-directed 401(k) or IRA -- were routinely higher than 60% prior to the 2009 economic crisis, but they have not yet returned to that level. That pattern is particularly evident among adults in middle-income households with incomes ranging from $30,000 to $74,999: 56% now say they own stocks, consistent with the percentage in 2010 but well below the 72% found in 2007 before the financial crisis. Stock ownership also remains down slightly among lower-income households (under $30,000), while it has held steady near 90% since 2007 among those in households earning $75,000 or more annually.